Until the clouds are lilac again
by JnjlenSkinjbir
Summary: "I know I'm not good at sticking to my promises –actually none of us seems to be good at it –but I promise to make our relation official after the war. But you have to promise me you'll come back alive, you stupid oaf!" "I promise", he said, his voice slightly shaking. (written for day 3 "promise" of the Elfever Week 2016, so mainly Elfever with hints of Gajevy)


**Hellow :)**

 **Sorry, I couldn't post yesterday. I've already written a big part of the OS, but I haven't finished writing it yet (because it's always hard to write lemon. Hum). Honestly, this week I feel like I'm gonna post a day on two in time, and the rest during the next week.**

 **Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me**

 **Warning: character's death (but I hope you'll enjoy it nonetheless!)**

* * *

Black.

Everything was black. But not the same kind of black you slowly slip in when you're falling asleep. No this time, it was more like darkness itself was devouring her, as if she was drowning in it. It was in her lungs, in her body. She was cold, every part of her bod hurts, and she can feel the pain deep in her bones, like the cold, even though last time she checked, it was a day of August.

She coughed and the mere move makes her cringe because of the pain she was feeling in her throat, her lungs, her abdomen. She tasted something metallic in her mouth and felt something pour from the corner of her lips; she understood she was coughing blood. _Shit. I must've gotten hurt pretty bad. But when_? Evergreen opened her eyes but her vision was blurry and the light blinding her, so she closed back her eyes. Around her, she heard voices, but they seemed so far, she couldn't understand them, and she could less and less hear them, as if she was being pulled away.

 _How did I get there?_ she asked herself. However, her mind was too foggy and too slow because of the pain, so she couldn't think about a reasonable answer. She felt the blood at the corner of her lips being wiped by something rough, but the gesture was so tender it reminded her of something.

Alas she couldn't find what it was, because she drifted once more into unconsciousness.

* * *

When she woke up, to what seemed just a few seconds to her, she was drenched in sweat and was shaking like a leaf, her teeth chattering, her mouth and throat completely dry, her vision still blurry. Evergreen remembered why she hated being sick. She hated the feeling of not having the control over her body, she hated feeling that weak. But, strangely, she didn't remember being sick before losing consciousness. Nonetheless, she remembered tasting the taste of blood.

Her fight against Tempester flashed in her mind, making her cringe. If moving wasn't causing her so much pain, she would have curled up into a ball. They had been so disadvantaged against this demon. Even Luxus couldn't beat him, and they survived only because the demon underestimated them. Evergreen bit her lip, as the arriving tears were burning her eyes. Once more, they couldn't have filled their promise to protect Luxus. Actually, it wouldn't have made a huge difference if they had been there or not: Luxus would be dead, most likely. What was a guard worth if it wasn't even able to protect a single person? Evergreen was seriously beginning to wonder why she had been chosen by Luxus himself when she was this weak. She had heard several times people saying it was because of her looks she had recruited, and she began to wonder if that wasn't the true reason to her being accepted in the Raijinshuu. _At least, that makes a domain where I'm not weak_ , she thought bitterly.

To her, the feeling of failing was the worst. Evergreen had been built by the victories, small or big, she won on every one who looked down at her or cast her away because she was considered to be a monster. Entering Fairy Tail and becoming a mage had been one of her greatest victories, because she could finally show all those people they had been wrong all along: she wasn't a monster, but a fairy. However, since the Battle of Fairy Tail, Evergreen had the impression to have won no victory, the fails piling quickly up faster than they ever had in her life. She was useless, and guilty of not holding the promise she had made to Luxus when she rejoined the Raijins. She was used to make false promises during her quests, before getting intel or whatever she wanted from various men, and she really had no problem to break those. But why was the only promise she intended to hold the one she would never be able to realize?

As her tears were becoming harder and harder to suppress, her body began to shake once again, the feeling of coldness not leaving her. She exhaled deeply, hoping it would stop her tears, but her teeth rattled so hard she had no choice but close her mouth instantly. Then something circles one of her hands, something that make warmness spread from her fingertips to her whole body. She was still cold however; but at least, her teeth weren't chattering anymore.

Evergreen looked for her do-gooder, and her eyes settled on two hands holding hers, near her bed. She can't distinguish the forms very well, but she didn't need to to recognize the person sitting on a stool near the bed. After all, there was only person in the guild, and probably in the whole world, who could be as tall and have a mop of white hair with a dark skin. Elfman. She wondered how much time he had spent at her sides.

Her eyes met his dark blue ones and he sketched a smile before kissing her knuckles. This gesture gave her briefly comfort, before she remembered she had promised to make him an S-Rank mage a few months (or years ago) out of pride, because she wanted to make Fried regret to not choose her as a partner –another promise she had been unable to hold. Actually, she also felt like she had been nothing but a hindrance to him on the island, especially against Rustyrose, even though he had told him she hadn't been.

Evergreen couldn't hold back her tears anymore and she began to sob, her body twitching uncontrollably, looking at the ceiling instead of him, hoping she would feel a little better. But she was still feeling like crap, pain waving through her body at each twitch. He suddenly pushed the stool away, and she feared he might go away. She tried to speak, but her mouth was so dry and there was a big lump in her throat, so she couldn't say a word loud. Then Elfman leaned over her, sat on the edge of the bed and put his head next to hers, on the pillow, a hand still holding hers (she squeezed it with all her might and he answered it by stroking her knuckles), the other stroking her hair and her cheek, occasionally wiping tears with his thumbs. The position must be awkward for him, but he didn't complain –instead, he whispered sweet words in her ear. His presence didn't make her feel wonderful, she only felt a little better than before. And warmer also. And she was grateful for Elfman to hold this position until she stopped sobbing, and was once more drifting into sleep.

"I'll avenge you, Ever" are the last words she heard. She closed her eyes and fell asleep, after he kissed her cheek.

* * *

The third time she woke, it was night, in a hospital room and by the feeling of something running against her jaw. Her eyes shot open and she spotted Elfman, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up," he whispered, not looking in her eyes, but she paid no mind to this detail.

"Where are we? We were in the infirmary, weren't we?"

"The hospital had accepted to host you until you recover."

"But… did something happen to Fairy Tail? Have we lost to them?" she asked.

She felt breathing again when Elfman shook his head, but he didn't say a word. He merely sighed, looking through the window. Elfman was cracking his knuckles, which was a sign of utter nervousness in him. At that moment, Evergreen knew there was something wrong. His gaze was switching between his fingers and the window and he opened his mouth several times, before closing it, as if he had something very important to say.

"Sorry, Ever… It's my fault… Everything is happening because of my fault…"

Evergreen gave him a puzzled look. She knew Elfman tended to act before thinking on top of having the unfortunate tendency to cause a lot of casualties in no times, like his comrades, but to cause the delocalization of the Raijins… _Wow, looks like I really missed a great deal of things when I was here_!

"No, it's not! You can be truly a clumsy nag sometimes, but I don't think you have created the situation we're in, whatever it is! Or, at the very least you couldn't have done that alone! You wouldn't hurt a fly!"

Elfman emitted a sound that sounded like a snicker, something that wasn't in his habitudes at all, and reported his attention on the window.

"You shouldn't trust me so much, Evergreen".

Her heart missed a beat. Elfman always called her by her nickname, no matter how many times she told him he couldn't because he wasn't of the Raijins. The situation was really serious if he called her by her full name. And the _"_ _you shouldn't trust me so much"_ meant that he really fucked up.

"Why? I'm your girlfriend… »

« Was. »

Her eyes widened. _Oh no_. She could feel it coming. Did he want to break up with her?

"I don't think you'll want to be my girlfriend anymore after you hear…"

"For God's sake, Elfman! Stop beating around the brush and tell me what's wrong already!"

She had grabbed him by his shoulders and shook him, forcing him to face her.

"And look in my eyes when you're talking to me!"

He raised his gaze and his eyes met hers. Despite the lack of light

"I almost killed Lisanna, for the second time and I exploded the guild's building!"

Her eyes widened as she yelled "What?!". They both froze as they heard a groan coming from the other end of the room. From Luxus' bed to be more precise. Evergreen bit her tongue, since she had completely forgotten that the Raijins were in the same room. The conversation was already awkward and painful enough for the boys to waltz in. But they heard the ruffle of the bedsheets, and Luxus mumbled for some time, because falling asleep again, a soft snore escaping his lips.

"Perhaps we should have this conversation outside, where they won't be prying ears", she suggested.

Elfman nodded and they went down on the courtyard. It was desert, due to the hour; light could be seen only at a few windows. They sat on a bench.

"Did you really…?" she began, the words unable to come out of her lips.

"Yes."

"I don't believe you."

"Then go to the guild and see for yourself."

"There's gotta be an explanation!"

"No explanation can excuse my behavior."

"Is it because of a demon?"

He said nothing, only gritted his teeth, which meant yes. Evergreen huffed in frustration. Right now, Elfman reminded her of Luxus when he was being stubborn

"Like I said, nothing can excuse my behavior, and nothing will change my decision."

"Which decision?"

"I'm leaving, Evergreen."

"Why?" she asked, dumfounded, sounding perhaps a little more desperate than she liked.

"There is no place for me here. I destroyed the place that symbolized home for the most of us, myself included. Besides, the guild had been disbanded earlier today."

This news made Evergreen feel as if she someone kicked her in her stomach. Fairy Tail was also her home, although she didn't get along with all its members; it was the only lace she had been accepted as she was after people discovered about her powers.

"But…why?"

"I don't know. The old man couldn't explain it, but I had the feeling he wanted to protect the guildmates from something. Or someone. Maybe he wants to protect them from me."

That earned him another smack of the fan on the forearm. His hand covered the place he had been hit as he was looking at her wide-eyed, slightly gaping.

"Don't you dare to think of yourself as a monster! You're not the one who turned a whole village into stone without getting what was happening and had to manage on your own for almost ten years while getting persecuted! Plus, you couldn't help it, you were under the control of this demon, goddamnit! I also know the extent of their powers, and I don't think anybody would have done something different than you did. Even Natsu, or Luxus."

He opened his mouth to speak but Evergreen cut him as he was clearing his throat.

"Oh, you know what? Go, I don't give a fuck. After all it's not as if you were turning your back to the people who care for you!"

"But Ever, I'm not abandoning you! I'll come back!"

She snickered and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, that's what they all say, before leaving and disappearing from the surface of Earthland!" she spat, the bitter memories from her failed relations coming back to her mind.

She turned around, very much angered, but Elfman caught her wrists and made her turn around. He suddenly seemed to regret the clumsiness of his words. He took her hands in his and looked at her straight in the eyes.

"No. I really mean it when I say I'll come back. As a man, I'll swear I'll come back for you Ever. Just give me a year, and I'll return stronger, when I'll finally be a man worthy of that name, a man who is worth staying by your side. Then I promise to make you the happiest woman in the world. You will never lack something, and I'll let nobody hurt you."

Evergreen couldn't talk, because it was the first time a man made such a promise to her. Of course, Elfman wasn't the first man she had been with, but he was the only one she had really fallen in love with. She had a lump in her throat and was on the verge of tears. Which was, on her opinion, totally stupid because they would see each other after this year, since there wasn't any war in sight or other dangerous dark guilds lurking around.

"Idiot! Do you really think I'm unable to defend myself?" she scolded him, hitting his forearm with her fan, though it was weaker than usual.

He opened his mouth to answer her, but Evergreen broke into a sob. _It's probably because of the drugs we have been fed to get better quicker,_ she thought. Unless it was that she was feeling the same kind of unease in Elfman she had felt years ago, when she ran away from her village after having accidentally turned all the inhabitants into stone, even though they had all been nice to her. And this event had marked all her life since, and she still bore the scars of it deep inside her. Maybe they were good together finally: two loudmouthed people hiding their profound ill-being and their lack of confidence.

He hugged her and she wound her arms around her torso, burying her nose in the crook of his neck, smelling him. He stroked her hair and her back until she stopped sobbing. As Elfman kissed her temple, she felt something wet on her hair. He's probably crying too, and it makes her feel sadder (even though Elfman has the gift to cry about anything, without even faking it).

« I want no snot-shampoo, thanks, » she mumbled, feeling the familiar rumble in Elfman's chest as he let out a small laugh.

She looked up and saw him wipe his tears with the back of his hand, his lips stretching in a thin smile. Evergreen preferred to see his big happy idiot smile, but, given how grim he was just a few instants ago, this kind of smile was good too, and the corners of Ever's lips moved upwards.

"Next time, I see you crying in front of me, I want it to be tears of joy", he said, wiping her tears with his thumbs.

She nodded and kissed him. His lips tasted like salt, unless it was hers. It was the softest kiss she had ever had, but also the saddest.

"Now, Ever, I've got to go. Take care of yourself."

He turned around and exited the courtyard. Evergreen fought against the urge to follow him. It would be totally ridiculous to wander around wearing nothing but a (horrible) hospital gown. Besides, her pride forbade her to follow him: being in love didn't mean she had to throw her pride away. So she simply stayed still watching him go, until his silhouette blended in the shadows outside of the hospital's gate.

"Miss?"

She turned around and met the gaze of a nurse.

"You shouldn't be outside at this hour."

"I know, but I needed some fresh air", Ever explained.

The nurse gave her a big smile.

"Don't worry, he'll come back. He seems to be a nice guy. Now, you should go back and get some sleep. You really need some rest after the fight you've been through."

* * *

And actually, Elfman had held his promise. He came indeed, a year and a few days later at Blue Pegasus (where she and the Raijins began to work almost a year earlier) on one day she was on service. Sadly, he wasn't alone, but accompanied by his sisters, Cana, Gajeel, Juvia and Levy. He also looked stronger if she trusted his appearance but not only.

Elfman had grown bigger during the year. She didn't exactly know in what consisted his training, but it certainly wasn't entertaining or serving customers. No, it was with no doubt something insane, something inhuman, for he looked even more huge than Luxus (and taller also. He might have grown of an inch or so, though this had nothing to do with his training). Knowing her idiot of a boyfriend, he probably pushed himself too far to become stronger and thus, make amends for the destruction of the guild.

If she had to guess where did Elfman train, Ever would say the desert, because the man was even more tanned, being almost tanned, which made a shocking contrast with his two sisters, whose skin was almost as pale as their hair.

His hair was as shaggy as usual, perhaps a little longer, and she can see in his eyes that he is happy to see her and he missed her. But his signature grin, the one that makes her knees go weak and makes her smile almost against her will, makes her realize how much she'd missed him.

She stood there, with a hand on her hip, the other holding a plate.

"What will it be? I would like to serve you a good brawl, but we don't have any there!"

"Ever!"

« Evergreen-san ! »

« Fairy Girl ! »

"Nee-san!" Cana whined, her wandering hands trying to reach for her curves.

It was also a day Luxus and her teammates were here at the guild, and Gajeel smirked widely. Evergreen immediately understood what his presence meant. The rebirth of Fairy Tail and the fact that they needed them. The day suddenly seemed way better. Gajeel himself confirmed her assumptions moments later. None of the four hesitated, and were ready to go.

Although Blue Pegasus was sad to see them go (except Jenny who didn't even make an effort to seem a little pained), master Bob accepted to let them take the Christina after Gajeel said they needed to help Natsu and the others, back in Alvarez, to save Makarov. Elfman seemed happier when they left the guild (probably because there were no more gentlemen who would hit on her girlfriend. She tried to explain to him nonverbally that Eave was just a friend and wasn't interested in her, but Elfman didn't catch the hint and glared at the poor blonde until the smaller man expressed the need to have some fresh air).

On the Christina, they took advantage of the first moment of calm they had to exchange a kiss. It felt good to feel his lips again, to be able to run her fingers over his muscles o to be held in his big arms, her nose buried in the crook of his neck (another fact: he smelled exactly like the night he had left).

"I want you" he groaned in her ear, as he squeezed her bottom.

Evergreen giggled.

"Did you really miss me so much?"

"Yes", he whispered, before kissing the side of her neck.

"Then you've got to wait until we arrive at Magnolia."

"The crew inform the passengers that lovemaking is forbidden onboard during the flight", said Bixlow's voice, sizzle in the speakers.

They both froze in place, persuaded that the blue-haired man was talking about them. Then they heard another girl speaking.

"I told you this wasn't an appropriate place to do it! Not when our friends are on board!"

"C'mon, shrimp, we have done it plenty of times when we were still members of the council, and nobody ever caught us, even though you weren't especially silent, gi hi!"

Elfman and Evergreen both looked at each other with a mix of surprise and disgust. But they didn't know what was the most shocking, to discover Gajeel had been in the Council, that he and Levy were a thing, that they had seemingly a very busy life, the fact that they had sex in public places, like right now. Probably the last one was the principal reason though.

"Stupid Gajeel!" yelped Levy, before going away.

"Hey! It's not my fault if one of the dolls of the creepy mage had caught us!"

Their steps seemed to be further and further, so they could both talk.

"I suggest we wait until we are in Magnolia to begin any intense make out session, unless you want Bixlow's babies to catch us."

"That seems the wisest decision," approved Elfman, though a bit reluctantly.

"Don't worry! No matter how far we are from Arakitashia, we will be in Magnolia tonight!"

"And how can you be so sure of that?"

"Because it's Luxus who's in charge and Luxus is never late for dinner," she assured him with a smile.

The rescue operation took less time than expected, perhaps because they interfered at the right moment. Luxus was probably pushing the Christina's motor beyond its limits, but they reached Magnolia shortly after sunset, landing on a patch of ground near the guild. They ate (thankfully, because the Lightning mage was really in a bad mood when his stomach wasn't full) and cheered a little, learning about the whereabouts of their guildmates, before the first master explained the whole situation to them. Elfman didn't understand all that she said, but he understood the key parts. The fairy strategist exposed the plan and began assigning tasks to everyone. There would be a big operation of evacuation of the city on the morrow, since Levy promised to go to see the mayor at first hour so he could give the order of evacuation really soon. Mavis Vermillion foresaw two days of preparation, which was the time for an average skyship to get from the capital of Alvarez to Magnolia, during which they were supposed to evacuate all the population and work on the city's defenses.

The speech of the blonde girl had darkened the cheerful mood, but not enough to stop Natsu and the others fooling around and almost destructing the freshly rebuilt guild. Gajeel and Levy had already _mysteriously_ left (Evergreen decided to not dwell on that too much. She really didn't need to imagine them having sex).

Elfman found her moments after, suggesting they headed home to enjoy the evening. They left the guild hand in hand and went to the house she shared with her teammates, which was closer to the guild. He closed the door of her room behind them and they kissed, taking heir times to take their clothes off, to discover the changes in his body, or to rediscover her body. Fortunately, even after the year gap, it still felt the same when they were making love, despite the changes that occurred.

He spent the rest of the night in her room, and naturally, they didn't sleep much that night (which wasn't so bad because Evergreen thought they would have time to get back their hours of sleep the next night), because they had a lot to catch on. The following morning, when he appeared at her sides in the kitchen, Fried, being the eternal early riser, didn't seem surprised, or if he did, he made no comment and even poured him a cup of coffee.

As soon as she returned in the guild hall, eleven hours later, Ever let out a very unladylike groan, before falling in a bench, flat on her stomach. She was lying still, her face against the wood, since she was very tired due to her lack of sleep the previous night and due to the operation of evacuation of the city. She had to take car of the civilians and their stress while looking as calm as a statue…which wasn't easy when people began to curse the mages for dragging them in a mage war (and they weren't absolutely wrong, but she had to stay smiling and gentle, even though she really wanted to punch those people and yelling at him that they could stay in the city if they wanted to have a shitty death).

"Hey you alright?"

Evergreen turned her face and saw Elfman who was crouched down to be at her level. Her smirk appeared on her lips.

"As you can see I am bursting with energy."

"Too bad. I was about to invite you to the restaurant."

"Which restaurant? We have evacuated most for the people of this town, so there won't be a single restaurant open."

"Ah…guess you're right."

"I missed your cooking however." Elfman seemed a little surprised at first, but then he smiled widely, and his cheeks became a little rosy.

"Huh, I guess I could cook a nice meal, even though all the shops are closed by now…"

"I have a better idea", she said, sitting up. "Let's have a picnic by the beach, so we can have a swim!"

"The road to Harujion is too long, and the train line has probably stopped by now."

"Can we go to the lake instead?"

"Yeah, why not!"

"Then I'll meet you at your place", she said as she went away. "I'll arrive in a few minutes, just the time to grab my swimsuit and some stuff!"

Two hours later, they settled near the lake, where they spent the rest of the evening. Since the weather was nice, they swam even when the sun was set, the place only it by the moonlight. She couldn't take her eyes off him because (she must admit it), he was very handsome, especially with the droplets of water running down his muscles. Elfman too was eyeing her, she could feel his gaze sliding over her body. Eventually, it became fresher around midnight, so they put their clothes back on and decided to have a walk in the city's streets, since it was desert.

Elfman had neither the time nor the means to make miracles (or at least, that was what he said), but he had managed to prepare an apple pie, a melon-ham-cheese-nut-lettuce salad, a mix of red and green peppers and cream to spread on slices of bread (he even apologized for not having time to make it himself and to have bought it). To drink, they only had a bottle of water and a bottle of orange juice, but to Ever, it would make do.

They went down the hills, her head upon his shoulder, a hand on the small of Elfman's back and the other covering his which rested over her hip. She caught herself thinking that Elfman's arm and sides were very comfortable, soft yet firm, and she immediately assumed the man would make a comfy pillow. Truth be told, Evergreen was feeling a little sleepy, because she was tired due to the trip she'd had to Arakitashia to save the guild's master and the efforts she had made during the evacuation of Magnolia. Besides, her stomach was full of fine food, and she had been rocked by the sounds of the crickets and the lapping of the water, and now by Elfman's heartbeats. Frankly, falling asleep in Elfman's arms sounded like the perfect way to end the day (and not after having sex, like her teammates implied when they told her to "spend some quality time with Elfman" before the final battle, as long as she wouldn't "overexert herself in nuptial activities").

"Ever?"

"Hm?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"You'd make a great pillow," she answered bluntly.

He laughed, and she loved the way it rumbled in his chest.

"Looks like someone is a little tired. Shall I bring you to your house before midnight?"

"No, I don't wanna go back to Luxus and the others", she pouted.

They resumed their walk in the streets, the sound of Ever's stilettos echoing against the cobblestones. The evening was as lovely as a September evening could be, with a gentle breeze. She thought about Fried and Bixlow, who were currently busy settling a defense system around the city, to protect the mages and the people who couldn't be evacuated, and she thought I was too bad they couldn't hang outside and enjoy the sweet weather.

He laughed when she yawned, teasing her about being too tired already, before leaning in to kiss her, but his lips stopped inches from hers. Usually, she would have pouted and told him to not tease her, but it wasn't the moment to whine. They felt an intense amount of power coming right towards them, and they both looked up. There was some perturbations in the sky, and Elfman frowned.

"I don't like that…"

"They're already there!"

"Shit! But how did they…?"

"It doesn't matter for now! We have to return to the guild as soon as possible. The First may have told us about the strategy, but we need to see if there are any changes of plan or new intel about Alvarez!"

He quickly nodded and they ran to the guild, the adrenaline making them reach the guild within five minutes. A lot of mages were already present, and others kept coming. Everybody was whispering, and the atmosphere was very tense. The couple headed to the place where the Strauss sisters and the Raijins were already gathered.

The first master spoke a few moments later.

"What's going on?" shouted a mage.

"Seemingly, Alvarez has at its disposal a technology that is way more advanced than us. They probably get on the road just after you rescued Makarov and the others mages, and used a device that conceal their magic. Thus, they have managed to trick us, and the radar wasn't able to detect anything before minutes ago. We already have warned the other guilds. I hope they're prepared enough."

"But weren't they supposed to come here at tomorrow night?! How could they be prepared much faster?"

"Actually, we're the ones who accelerated the process. By rescuing Makarov, we have entered their airspace without any authorization, which means, to such a militarized Empire, a declaration of war, and a legit reason to attack us."

"Bullshit!" shouted Natsu.

Mavis Vermillion sighed and ignored him.

"At least, the preparations we've made today should slow their progression a little."

"I really hope it will," mumbled Fried.

"Beware of them, their weapons won't be the ones you know. Alvarez being a military empire and having more advanced technologies. But having better weapons, more soldiers and taking advantage of the effect of surprise don't mean they will win this war. I trust you, we can defeat Alvarez."

Then the mages began to say each other goodbye and wish good luck. Evergreen took advantage from the fact that the Raijins were occupied with the master and Mavis to look for Elfman. Once she spotted him getting going, she grabbed his hand. He turned around, his dark blue eyes staring into hers.

"I know I'm not good at sticking to my promises –actually none of us seems to be good at it –but I promise to make our relation official after the war. But you have to promise me you'll come back alive, you stupid oaf!"

Elfman smiled widely and pulled her into a hug.

"I promise", he said, his voice slightly shaking.

Evergreen hugged him even closer when he said those words. She couldn't help but think this could be the last time they hugged each other, despite Elfman's promise. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, but they were at war, and people died in wars. As if he had read in her thoughts, Elfman's finger pulled her chin up, and she had to crane her neck to look at him in the eyes, trying her best to not cry. It wasn't the moment dammit!

"Don't worry. We're gonna make out of it alive, both of us okay? We're Fairy Tail mages, and the word impossible means nothing to us!"

"If you say so..." she whispered avoiding his gaze.

He kissed her and, despite his hopeful tone, Ever could feel a lot of fear in their kiss: the fear to not live up to her expectations or against their opponents, the fear to not hold his promises, to lose the war, to lose her. She also felt the same thought: this kiss could be their last, and thus, she answered the kiss, only more passionately. They parted when breathing became a problem, but this moment felt too soon for Evergreen.

"Don't worry, you'll survive", he said, his lips brushing against her forehead. "You're a strong woman, smart enough to trick Death itself."

Evergreen really wanted to reply something as nice as this, but she knew she would be crying if she did, so she simply said, the lump in her throat making her almost unable to speak:

"I…I think we should be going now."

Elfman nodded and let go of her, his hand holding hers a little longer than necessary. Feeling immediately colder, even though it was a sweet September night, she ran back to the guild to join her teammates, not looking back.

 _You'd better hold your promise, Elfman. If you don't, I'll bring you back from the dead to kill you with my bare hands!_

* * *

Eventually, she turned out to be the one who wasn't able to hold promises at all. No, actually, she have held her promise to protect Luxus. As he was still recovering from the fall of material on him, caused by Aknowlodgia's magic, the dragon, having neither pity nor morals, launched a new attack towards the blond, which would be most likely the coup de grâce. Bixlow and Fried moved, yelling at Luxus to beware, but Evergreen was the only one who had reacted quick enough to push their leader aside. Unfortunately, she hadn't been quick enough to protect herself from the attack. She has barely the time to fold her arms in front of her, before the dark blue ray destroys her forearms and ends its course under her breasts, the force of the impact projecting her on several meters, her body passed through several layers of wall. For a moment, the only pains she feels is the hard contact with the cement. Then she fell to the ground, on her back, and she spat some blood.

Immediately she knew that she would die in a matter of minutes (she was no doctor, but she knew she would never survive to such wounds). She couldn't move anymore, she was cold, she felt her whole body bathing in her own blood, she knew she had a hole in her abdomen, and that her forearms are gone. _Shit. I thought my death would be a little classier than that_! She heard the shouts of Luxus, as if he was far, far away; seemingly, he tried to get to her, but fortunately Bixlow and Fried prevented him to do so. What would be her sacrifice worth if he stopped fighting, huh? If she was a little lucky, Luxus would destroy the dragon within a blink of the eye, and she might see before dying. But for now, she was alone, and she would die alone most likely. _As alone as I started my life_.

But at least, when she thinks about it, she had succeeded many things since she joined Fairy Tail. She was no longer a monster, she'd become a person who counts for the others, a person who cares for her friends, a person who loved and was being loved. She could leave with a smile, even though her only regret was to not be able to hold the promise she'd made to Elfman. Their relation would never be official. Too bad. It was the only thing she lacked to be fully living in the light. She hoped her boyfriend wouldn't throw a fit of jealousy when he would see that she sacrificed herself to save the life of another man. It would be too stupid. _No, Elfman won't do that. He will understand._

She let herself be taken away by something way softer than what she experienced after Tempester's attack. She didn't even fight, she knew it was pointless and she didn't need it. Her eyes close ever so slowly and a tear fell as she heard someone shout her name. Her eyes shot open when she recognized Elfman's voice. Her vision was blurry, she can only spots of colors here and there, and the dawn made her vision even worse. However, she could hear him running towards her.

She distinguished him clearly only when he fell to his knees next to her body. He really looked bad, covered in scratches, bruises, some parts of his body covered in bandages. He was covered from head to toes of dirt and dried blood, and soon hers, fresh, added to the mix, as he was slowly holding her head, his hand supporting her neck. Once more, she felt a sweet sensation of warmness spread at the base of her neck and was feeling oddly content and calm. _I'm going to die in the arms of the man I love. I must hold on until the clouds are lilac again_!

His eyes were shiny and watery, he would cry soon and so would she.

"Sorry", she croaked coughing blood and he hastily removed it.

"No, I'm the one who is sorry… I failed to my words, I wasn't able to defend you, I wasn't worthy of being a man! It's been the third time! I am so sorry, I would have liked that you found someone who would really be able to protect you and make you happy."

If she wasn't in this posture, she would have slapped him with her hand or her fan, or she would have kissed him –she would have done whatever, as long as he shut up. How could he say such things about himself? If one of the two didn't deserve the other, it was Evergreen, not the other way around! Besides, none of her guildmates had been able to protect her from Aknowlodgia, so she doubted there was someone on Earthland able to protect her at all. But there was only someone able to make her as happy as he had been during the last two days.

"I don't need to idiot," she whispers, blood oozing from her lips, which stretched in a slight smile as the first ray of sun touched her skin, a single tear running on her cheek. "You've already made me the happiest woman in Fiore."

The rays of sun bring a sweet orange light. Above her, the clouds are lilac and in the sky, shades of indigo, orange, rose as the silver of the moon blend together. At her sides she sees splashes of white, red, dark blue and shades of mahogany.

Evergreen looks at all these colors, which all blend into one when she closes her lids, a big smile grazing her lips.

* * *

 **So how was it? It's not the first time I write tragedy, but during this one I swear almost crying, so I will feel like having done well my writer's job if you cry :)**

 **See you in two days for the day 5 "Search" ;D**


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